Yoshiki performs Art of Life at Hong Kong’s Asian Film Awards

X Japan leader Yoshiki performed a selection from his composition “Art of Life” at the 11th Asian Film Awards held in Hong Kong on March 21, 2017. Greeted by resounding cheers from the red carper crowd as he posed for photos and granted television interviews, the world-famous drummer, composer, and songwriter took extra time to sign autographs of the We Are X Official Soundtrack and take selfies with swarms of dedicated Hong Kong fans before entering the Hong Kong Cultural Center.

Yoshiki gave a dramatic performance of “Art of Life” on piano accompanied by a string quartet, earning loud applause from the audience filled with prominent members of the Asian film world. Yoshiki also appeared as a guest presenter during the awards, invited by the show’s producers due to his worldwide popularity and his news-making “Yoshiki Classical Special” performance last December, where he performed a free concert for 6,000 fans after the originally-scheduled show had been cancelled due to a promoter error. This was the first time in the history of the Hong Kong entertainment industry that such an event had taken place, but the decision received high praise from Hong Kong media as the ideal course of action for such a famous artist. With this previous event fresh in mind, Yoshiki’s presence at the awards was even more appreciated by fans and industry VIPs alike.

The award-winning We Are X film is currently a hot topic in Japan with continued sold-out showings in Tokyo and other areas of the country. The We Are X Original Soundtrack has seen unprecedented popularity as well, topping the UK’s Rock Albums chart as well as hitting Top 10 on the iTunes Soundtrack charts in 17 countries (France, Italy, Russia, Sweden, Netherlands, Finland, Mexico, Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Macau, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam) and #1 in 9 countries, making it an exceptional achievement in X Japan’s celebrated history.

The momentum for the Japanese theatrical release of the film continues to grow, with an upcoming We Are X special scheduled for NicoNico’s official Yoshiki Channel, and ticket raffles starting March 27 in Japan at We Are X movie theaters to give fans early access to X Japan’s recently-announced Japan tour dates.